Change Doesn't Have to Hurt

To have success with change requires flexibility and adaptability. If you can grab the reins and act as a change leader yourself, you’ll be personally helping in leading the organization to great achievements.

With change normally comes resistance. In order to lead change you need to know just what kinds of resistance there are. Here are just a few, listed in “Individual Resistance from Employees to Organizational Change”, by Dr. Chuang,Yuh-Shy:

·         Personal loss. Right or wrong, people are afraid they’ll lose something, particularly job security and pay.
·         Loss of pride and satisfaction. A concern about ending up with jobs that no longer require their abilities and skills.
·         Reduced responsibility. Jobs will be reduced to menial tasks without responsibility.
·         Loss of status. Loss of job titles, responsibility, or authority.

But on the other hand, there are probably more positive things to think about than negative.

Yuh-Shy lists things such as:

·         Personal gain. New job titles, more responsibility, more money, and more authority.
·         More security. Greater job security because of the need for increased skills. Possible salary increases.
·         More status/prestige. Possibly a new title or new office.
·         More responsibility or authority. Maybe new responsibility or a new supervisor who assigns more responsibility than the previous one did. This could lead to future promotions.

You know, if you really think about it, people actually love change. People constantly pursue promotions and new job responsibilities; buy personal development books and start their own businesses. They change careers, jobs, and even organizations – all in the name of change.

People love change – they just hate having to be forced to change.

You can help guide change no matter where you fall in the organizational chart. Being a change leader can put you in the position of being someone who has greater career potential. Christina Tangora Schlachter and Terry Hildebrandt, authors of “Leading Business Change For Dummies” say that you can begin to spark positive change by doing one simple thing . . . becoming proactive.